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The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a faster M2 chip will be released this Friday. Some YouTube channels and media outlets have already published initial reviews of the notebook, giving a practical insight into the improved performance.
The only notable change to the 13-inch MacBook Pro is the M2 chip, which comes with an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Apple says the M2 chip has up to 18% faster CPU, up to 35% faster GPU, and up to 40% faster Neural Engine compared to the M1 chip. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro has the same design as the previous model, including the Touch Bar and two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the left side of the device. The headphone jack on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro now supports high-impedance headphones, just like on the 14- and 16-inch models. With the M2 chip, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can be configured with up to 24GB of memory while the M1 chip offers a maximum of 16GB of RAM.
13″ MacBook Pro with M2 chip: This is what the first test reports say
Like the previous model, the notebook also supports up to 2TB of SSD storage. Prices for the 13-inch MacBook Pro start at €1,599 in Germany. The device is available in space gray and silver. Many critics agreed that it might be worth waiting for the redesigned MacBook Air with the M2 chip, which Apple says will be available in July. The new MacBook Air starts at a lower price of €1,499 and features newer design elements such as MagSafe charging, a 1080p camera, thinner bezels around the screen, physical function keys, and more. One notable difference between the notebooks, however, is that the MacBook Air is fanless while the MacBook Pro has an active cooling system to ensure consistent performance for users with more demanding workflows. Monica Chin of The Verge writes in their review:
This would be the perfect device for someone like me—if it weren't for the new MacBook Air. This new MacBook Air, also powered by the M2, is coming very soon. From what I can tell from Apple's website, it will be the same price as the M2 MacBook Pro in most cases (they hover around the $1,499 mark) while offering the same features. But unlike the MacBook Pro, the M2 MacBook Air has received a major redesign and has many new features—including new colors, a larger display, a 1080p webcam, and most importantly, MagSafe—that this device doesn't have.
Chin has published several benchmarks comparing the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the previous model with the M1 chip. The Geekbench 5 results confirm that the new 13-inch MacBook Pro has up to 18-20% faster multi-core performance than the previous model. Overall, the first testers seem to agree. The new MacBook Air is definitely likely to be the more popular model. (Image: Apple)
